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User blog:John Pan/A Guide to An Alternate World
A Guide to An Alternate World Date of Writing: 2410 Exotic Science Olympium Olympium is a chemical element with the symbol Oly and atomic number 186. Created in the midst of thermonuclear reactions, Olympium is created when a Uranium-238 atom fuses with a Plutonium-244 atom under temperatures of 350 Mega-Kelvin (350 Million degrees Celsius) or above. Because it is so difficult to fuse, it is very rare and very expensive. Physical Properties With an atomic number of 186 and a mass of 482, Olympium sits in the middle of the super-heavy-nuclei “Island of Stability,” which gives it the half-life of 150 billion years, “observationally stable.” At 38,000kg/m3, it's twice as dense as Tungsten, has an ultimate tensile strength of 3300 MPa, melts at 5200K and boils at 8000K. Nuclear Properties If it comes under bombardment by neutrons, it will break apart into a Ba-138, two Pd-103, a Sr-88 and 50 neutrons. Because of this massive amount of neutron radiation, it is not as suitable for “clean” nuclear fission as Uranium and Plutonium, but can serve as a good reaction “kick-start” material. If it decays, it will turn into two Pb-207 atoms, releasing a ton of energy (gamma and double alpha decay) as it does so. Superconductive Properties An interesting property of Olympium is that when its Titanium-Nickel-Olympium alloy is cooled to temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius, it obtains superconductivity, A.K.A. zero electrical resistance (it's a room-temperature superconductor). When cyro-cooled by liquid helium to 3K, it can sustain a magnetic field 10,000 teslas strong. This makes it a critical element in anything regarding fusion power. Casmir Effect Properties The final useful property of Olympium is that it can be used to amplify the Casmir effect between two closely spaced electrically conducting plates by 100 billion times. This greatly increases the amount of exotic matter that can be artificially produced. This makes it a critical element in anything regarding Faster-Than-Light technology. Antimatter Antimatter is matter composed of “opposite” particles as normal “positive” matter. Essentially, an anti-Hydrogen would consist of an antiproton and a positron, as opposed to Hydrogen, which is composed of a proton and an electron. Antimatter can be created by high-energy collisions in particle accelerators, or harvested from a planet with a powerful magnetic field. As cosmic rays bombard a planet, it creates natural antimatter via pair production, which is then trapped inside the planet's radiation belts. This trapped antimatter can be collected by spacecraft with magnetic scoops, which is much less expensive than artificial production (but comes in smaller quantities). The antimatter is then separated from other “positive” matter and cyro-cooled to 2K, and stored in magnetic vaults. It is mainly used as a form of energy storage. Exotic Matter Exotic matter, also commonly referred to as “negative matter,” is a critical component of today's Faster-Than-Light (FTL) technology. Exotic matter produces a negative gravitational pull; this means that it repels all other matter (for comparison, “regular” matter attracts all other matter). It also has negative mass, i.e. -2kg. Exotic matter is responsible for what had been (in the early 21st-century) attributed to “dark matter,” “dark energy,” and for cosmic inflation. Exotic matter is critical, as it can be used to thread wormholes, stabilize space-time rips, and power Warp drives. Bulk The Bulk, also referred to as The Void and Hyperspace, is a five-dimensional space that surrounds our four-dimensional universe. The Bulk is terra almost incognita, as none of our known particles, fields, or forces (with the exception of gravity and the warping of space-time associated with gravity) exist in The Bulk. All the laws of motion, however, do apply. Bulk matter, therefore, only interacts with our universe (and its matter) via gravity, and possibly via a currently unknown “Bulk Field.” Since it interacts with our universe via gravity, it is Anti-deSitter (AdS) Warped where it borders our universe. AdS Warping decreases distance tenfold every 0.1 millimeters, for 1.5cm. This allows Newton's inverse square law for gravity to properly apply. This also implies that distance through The Bulk is highly contracted, by an order of 1,000,000,000,000,000 times (10 billion LY is contracted into 1 AU). This is the reason why Bulk drives easily achieve Faster-Than-Light velocities. However, one thing is certain: conventional “in-universe” STL drives cannot provide thrust in The Bulk. Quantum Gravity Laws Quantum Gravity Laws were derived from “naked Singularity” experiments in the late 2060s. Naked Singularities can be manufactured by precisely forming a gravitational wave implosion, that ends with an observable singularity. Quantum Gravity Laws allow the “ripping” or “pruncturing” of space-time, as well as modification of Newton's gravitational constant (G). This implies that wormholes can be artificially manufactured, we can escape our 4D universe, and that the gravity (or negative gravity) of an object can be increased or decreased. However, due to the influx of photons via a “wormhole time machine,” in-universe time travel cannot be achieved—the quantum fluctuations of photons in the wormhole will result in the collapse of the wormhole that is about to become a “time machine.” Power Sources All of today's machines need power to operate their equipment. Some require less than others: communication satellites near stars, for example, only need solar panels to get the energy that they need. Some need more: FTL-drive equipped Starships, for example, require multiple fusion or antimatter reactors to provide enough energy to power a Faster-Than-Light drive. The vast majority of energy now is produced by thermonuclear fusion. Solar Panels Solar Panels are the basic energy source for low-energy-requirement machinery, such as Satellites. However, they also require being close enough to a star, in order to get the electromagnetic energy that they need to efficiently produce electricity. The maximum efficiency obtained is by triple-junction In-Sb solar cells, 85%, very close to the theoretical limit. Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator For a low-energy requirement equipment that needs to function in harsh climates for decades, RTGs are the way to go. Using an array of thermocouples, the generator converts of head released by the decay of a radioactive fuel (Plutonium- 238, Strontium-90, Polonium-210, and Americium-241). A variation of this is using a Stirling engine instead of thermocouples, which can boost the power generated by at least four times. Nuclear Battery Nuclear batteries are devices that convert the energy (whether it be electrons or Helium nuclei) from the radioactive decay of one or more radioactive isotopes into usable electricity. They have incredible lifespans, high energy density, and relatively high efficiency (up to 10 times higher than RTGs). Examples include the Tritium Cell and the Uranium Cell. Nuclear Reactors Nuclear Reactors are split into two types: fission and fusion. Fission Reactor Fission reactors have already arrived at the 5th-generation Gas-fueled reactor, fueling in Uranium-235 gas into its reaction chamber to undergo fission, making it far more efficient than any previous fission reactor. Produced electricity is then extracted electrostatically. Fission reactors can be miniaturized fairly easily, and are commonly implemented in exoskeletons and light walkers. Fusion Reactor Fusion reactors come in two main types: Internal Confinement and Magnetic Confinement. They produce far more energy than fission reactors, have even higher efficiency, and are practically waste-free, as the only things put out are Helium and some radiation. However, they require far higher temperature and pressure, as well as constraints set by the properties of plasma. They commonly need a fission reactor to serve as a kick-start power source. Proton Reactor Proton reactors are ultra-high efficiency and output fusion reactors. They merge protons with protons to make Helium. They require exemplary confinement technology, as they require confinement on the same level as stars, which use gravity. Massive amounts of magnetic power are required to create the level of confinement to force four protons to merge simultaneously in a reactor. Proton reactors are used because they produce massive amounts of energy, and their fuel is far less expensive than antimatter. Antimatter Reactors Antimatter reactors rely on the annihilation of matter and antimatter (mainly anti-hydrogen) to produce heat, which is converted into the required form of energy. Antimatter reactors are capable of harnessing energy that are many times greater than the best fusion reactors. Their only downside is that they are incredibly expensive. Artificial Gravity Artificial gravity can be induced in two ways: by rotating the spacecraft (creating centrifugal force), or by gravity manipulation. Spacecraft Rotation Rotating the spacecraft is easy: simply make the center of the spacecraft be the axis upon which the rest of the spacecraft revolves upon. The rest of the spacecraft would then have a certain degree of centrifugal force, creating artificial gravity. Alternatively, it can rotate "end-over-end" creating what are referred to as "Tumbling Pigeons." However, it is a primitive mechanical system, is easily disrupted, and is prone to mechanical failure. Newtonian Gravitational Constant Manipulators Since the 2060s, it is standard for a starship to have NGCM systems to provide artificial gravity. NGCM systems manipulate the gravitational constant (G) of its negative matter via a magnetic field and are seen in the form of a 1m-diameter disc. This disc is fitted in the “ceiling” of a spacecraft, and the negative gravity it supplies repels you towards the 'floor” of the spacecraft. The level of gravity can be increased or decreased according to the amount of electricity applied. It provides up to 1 g, beginning at the disc's surface. Slower Than Light (STL) STL engines are relatively inexpensive, good for low-cost interplanetary transportation, and provide thrust, which is required for jinking or moving an FTL drive-equipped Starship far enough from a major gravity well to activate it's FTL drive. Ion Thruster Ion thrusters accelerate Ions electrostatically, producing thrust. Ion thrusters are also very efficient, able to convert up to 96% of the electricity applied into thrust. Ion thrusters have pathetic thrust, but have excellent thrust velocity. Meaning, acceleration is terrible, but top speed is quite high. They are commonly used as small maneuver thrusters. Photon Engine Essentially a titanic laser. It shoots photons (light) out as thrust, which provides the starship with the capability to reach 0.99931c, but requires massive amounts of electricity: 300 MW to produce 1 Newton of thrust. Meaning, you'll need quite a few fusion reactors or antimatter reactors to provide enough electricity for several thousand newtons, or you'll end up going nowhere. Newtonian Gravitational Constant Manipulation Drive An ultra expensive and high power draw drive, NGCMDs are (near) reactionless drives. They are commonly referred to as the “Stealth Engine” or the “Gravity Drive.” NGCMDs work manipulating the gravity of two identical spheres of regular matter and exotic matter. The exotic matter is placed in the opposite direction where the ship would like to travel. As the gravity of both spheres are increased, the exotic matter's negative gravity repels the ship in the desired direction, and the regular matter's positive gravity attracts the negative gravity sphere, pulling it along with the moving ship. NGCMDs have no capability to operate near a gravity well, and has reduced acceleration as the starship's mass decreases. Magnetic Confinement Fusion Rocket Most of the time, a starship's Magnetic Confinement fusion reactor/ Proton fusion reactor is combined with its rocket system, creating electricity and then firing plasma out of its magnetic nozzle. The plasma is bound to travel at high velocity outward and can serve as excellent thrust. However, it makes a starship very, very visible to thermometers—exhaust temperature is in the neighborhood of one million Kelvin. Thrust and exhaust velocity vary depending on what fuel the reactor uses: it can be Deuterium-Tritium, Deuterium-Helium-3, Hydrogen-Boron, or Proton-Proton. D-He3 is commonly favored as its fusion products can all be effectively directed by magnetic fields. If the starship has the capability to inject antimatter into the exhaust, power can be increased by up to 100%, although in practice it is only about 90%. Light-speed Communications Light-speed communications are ideal of planetary communications. At longer distances, light-speed communications become impractical, as they travel too slowly. LSC usually consists of radio, laser or radar signals that are pumped out by a transponder towards a communication satellite, which then redirects the message at the target. For shorter distances, the transponder emits the signals directly at the target transponder. LSC are also much less expensive than FTL communications. Faster Than Light FTL is probably the pinnacle of mankind's technology: to travel to very distant places without requiring large amounts of time. FTL Drive Systems FTL Drives in the AAW universe is dominated by three major systems: the Warp drive, the Bulk drive, and the Stargate. Most FTL drive systems are prone to create violent explosions when tampered with incorrectly, but all FTL drives are mostly inert when not operational. Warp Drive The Warp drive, also known as the “Twister Engine,” is designed to bypass the laws of relativistic physics inside of regular space-time. Requiring massive amounts of negative energy, it envelopes the starship in a negative energy bubble, and then uses negative energy to “fold” or “wrinkle” space-time. Warp drives do not work properly near gravity wells, requiring the starship to move far away enough from large nearby gravity wells. One thing to remember is that it still requires conventional engines to accelerate the starship in the direction of travel, allowing it to be detected (in hindsight) via Doppler redshift. Another thing to remember is that the ship remains in regular space-time, which means that if it comes in contact with something else at such high velocities, it will obliterate the ship. Kinetic shielding must be kept online to keep a single electron from tearing apart the ship. In addition, if it comes in too close to a gravity well in the middle of operation, the Warp field would (normally) collapse. Should a Warp drive malfunction in the middle of operation, the Warp field would collapse, resulting in the release of immense levels of radiation that can reduce on-board organic life forms into grease spots on the starship's walls. Supraluminal Shift Properties Warp drives need time to accelerate or decelerate past the light barrier. Entry-level drives take upwards of 48 hours to get from subluminal to luminal speed. Each new generation of drives shaves about half of the time off. Current cutting-edge warp drives can achieve luminal or supraluminal speed in under forty minutes. Warp drives emit massive omnidirectional space-time ripples and emit Hawking radiation upon ac/deceleration. These gravitational anomalies can travel for 50 AU before becoming small enough to be concluded as “margin of error.” Velocity Warp drive velocity is determined by Tiers, with each tier signifying that the velocity is equivalent to that tier's number to the fifth power. For example, Tier 1 is 1c, while Tier 2 is 32c. Current warp drives top out at about Tier 12 (248,832c). Bulk Drive The Bulk drive, or “Void Engine” uses the fusion of three quarks to form a pico-black hole, which then tears a small hole in the fabric of space-time. Application of negative energy can stabilize the rip and make it large, thus allowing the ship to travel through the gap and into The Bulk. After the ship no longer provides negative energy to stabilize the hole, quantum foam will quickly seal the rip in space-time. The same process is reversed for a ship exiting The Bulk. Supraluminal Shift Properties Bulk drives need incredible amounts of energy to be stored before they can open a “Bulk Door.” Additionally, since a ship cannot propel itself very well with conventional STL drives in the Bulk, most starships accelerate to a specified velocity, enter the Bulk, and allow the starship's momentum to propel it through the Bulk. Rudimentary drives required a ship to wait for 70 hours before enough negative energy had been gathered to properly stabilize the space-time rip. Each new generation of drives shaves about half of the time off. Current cutting-edge Bulk drives can create a “Bulk Door” in little more than one hour. Bulk drives generate massive omnidirectional gravitational “ripple” distortions when they enter/exit Antispace, due to the pico-black holes that they use to operate. These gravitational anomalies can travel for 50 AU before becoming small enough to be concluded as “margin of error.” Bulk drives have one major restriction: they cannot operate near another large gravity well, as the gravity well would stop the pico-black hole from creating a space-time rip. Velocity Bulk drives do not have a specified velocity measurement system, as ships stay slower-than-light; due to the immense contraction of distance in the Bulk, however, a ship moving a subluminal speed in the Bulk can still move at supraluminal speed in our universe. Relative velocity can still be calculated by simply multiply the original velocity by 1,000,000,000,000,000. (10 to the 15th power) Stargate Stargates are wormhole manipulation engines. They are massive ring-shaped constructs, being 100 kilometers in diameter, 300 meters thick and 1,000 meters wide. The ring rotates on its own, creating a comfortable 0.9g on the inner surface of the ring. It is a completely sealed double-walled construct with a fully Terran surface and a massive amount of photonic circuitry under underneath the surface. Stargates use negative energy and quark accelerators, but on a much larger scale than a measly Bulk drive. First, a pico-black hole is manufactured and positioned in the middle of the Stargate. A second Stargate does the same thing. The two Stargates then use negative energy to manipulate space-time, bringing the two pico-black holes close to each other. Once the two pico-black holes connect, they create a pico-wormhole, just as two natural black holes will create a (very) temporary natural wormhole. Negative energy is applied to stabilize and enlarge the wormhole, preventing it from collapsing in on itself, and allowing ships to travel via the wormhole to very distant locations. However, Stargates need to link up with another Stargate; this makes it a chokepoint. Nevertheless, it is faster than any other form of FTL: near-instantaneous transportation to a far location via wormhole is faster than going through the Bulk at a “measly” 800,000 c. The most serious downside of Stargate technology is that they are extremely expensive to build and operate. FTL Drive Detection Stargates are portal-to-portal FTL systems, which make them chokepoints, making it much easier to find and/or intercept another FTL starship: by waiting at its exit point. However, a Warp drive nor Bulk drive have such restrictions, making it impossible to know whether or not a starship in Warp or the Bulk via conventional means. This makes Warp drive or Bulk drive-equipped starships the most dangerous type of FTL drive. Therefore, several technologies have been developed to detect Warp FTL drives and Bulk FTL drives. Long-range Gravity Anomaly Detector Using a quantumstatic gravitational sensor, the LGAD detects the gravitational waves in space-time when a Warp drive decelerates. The ripples travel at the speed of light, and only lose all of their energy after about 50 AU. This provides an LGAD to have a 50AU detection range of Warp drives decelerating in the immediate area. Bulk Sensor Station The Bulk Sensor Station, the originator of the Bulk Communication Beacon, periodically opens up rips in space-time, just large enough to allows gravitational waves to efficiently escape the Bulk and enter into our universe. Since relativity still applies in the Bulk, ships using Bulk drives simply cannot exceed the speed of light in the Bulk. Therefore, the sensor station can use gravitational anomaly detectors to locate the presence of mass. FTL Communication To allow the recipient to read your message instead of the recipient's grandchildren, there are three major ways of FTL communication. Interstellar Postage Interstellar mail is done by FTL ships carrying large databanks to haul massive amounts of data throughout the stars. Almost all commercial ships have databanks for extra income. However, it is fairly easy to sabotage and/or manipulate. Warp Communication Beacon The second form of FTL communication is the Warp Communication Beacon. It sends out a self-sustaining directional warp pulse containing a short radio burst towards the target. The pulse carries the message until the warp pulse is collapsed by a gravity well, which also means that it is close enough to the recipient. The radio burst then continues on to the recipient's radio receiver. WCBs are mainly used for emergency transmissions. Bulk Communication Beacon The final form of FTL communication is the Bulk Communication Beacon. It combines a Bulk engine with a gravitational wave manipulator. The Bulk engine rips a hole through space-time, and pumps a message via gravitational waves (most commonly in Morse) into the Bulk, where it travels 1,000,000,000,000,000 times faster than it would in normal space. The gravitational anomaly detector (Bulk Sensor Station) regularly rips holes into the Bulk for short periods of time to pick up any messages sent from BCBs. However, BCBs are extremely expensive and energy-consuming to operate. BCBs are mainly used for emergency transmissions. Sensors There are a few common types of sensory equipment that allows a device to find another in the vast expanse of space. Active RADAR A long-running detection method, RADAR fires radio waves at a target, then uses the radio waves bouncing off of the target to determine the object's position and speed. However, beyond several thousand kilometers, it becomes too slow—the radio waves must travel twice the distance to detect a target. Radars are cheap, effective and relatively reliable. LADAR A newer version of RADAR that uses laser instead of radio beams. LADAR has a lower diffusion rate, and therefore has higher resolution, resulting in higher accuracy. LADARs are more expensive than their RADAR cousins. Passive Thermograph Thermographs are Infrared telescopes that pick up the thermal signature of an object in space. One downside is that if there is a very powerful natural fusion power source nearby, it will seriously hamper it's ability to pick out a specific thermal signature. Another downside is that is has relatively low resolution, especially when compared with LADARs. However, Thermographs, like every other Passive sensor, has the advantage of being faster than Active sensors, as they require half as much time to detect an object. Magnetometer Magnetometers are instruments that pick up the magnetic signature of an object, from a natural magnet/ magnetized matter (electric wires). Not every object can be detected by a magnetometer, and it has relatively low resolution. However, Magnetometers, like every other Passive sensor, has the advantage of being faster than Active sensors, as they require half as much time to detect an object. Weaponry Classification Electromagnetic Projectile Accelerators EPAs are considered essential parts of a modern military's arsenal of weapons. They are capable of providing excellent muzzle velocity, making them excellent armor penetrators. However, they require massive amounts of electricity, create lots of recoil, and are limited to using magnetic ammunition. Plus, their firepower against planets with atmospheres is halved per 105 Pascals (1 atm). Railgun Railguns are the easiest EPA to build; they are also the least efficient. They consist of at least two rails, while advanced designs may use four rails. An electric current is run in opposite directions through the rails, which can repel and pull a magnetic projectile between the rails. However, this action also forces the rails apart, forcing railguns to have structural supports for their rails. Maximum projectile velocity is 6,000 m/s. Coilgun Coilguns or Gauss Cannons are tougher to build than Railguns. The consist of multiple coils wrapped around a barrel, and thermal cameras to give the firing computer the exact position of a projectile inside a coilgun barrel. An electric current is run through the first coil, which pulls the magnetic projectile forward. When the projectile advances to a specific location, the coil shuts off and the next coil down the line activates, continuing to pull the projectile along. Coilguns are much more efficient than railguns, but are much more complex to build. Maximum projectile velocity is c. Magnetohydrodynamic Cannon The MHDC is a twist on highly perfected Coilguns: using the same coilgun weapon layout, they use a projectile's (normally, white-hot molten steel-uranium alloy) magnetohydrodynamic properties to accelerate it. They can accelerate these molten slugs to relativistic speeds and cause much more damage than a normal EPA projectile. Chemical Mass Accelerator CMAs date back to gunpowder. They use a chemical charge to accelerate a projectile out of the CMA's barrel. By the late 21st century, their muzzle velocities have been ramped up to speeds over Mach 5. They fire quickly, have lots of warhead choices, and are much less expensive than EPAs. CEMA warheads retain all of their explosive, incendiary, concussive, EMP, nuclear and directed energy potential as they rip through an atmosphere. Types CMA classification is split into guns and cannons. A gun refers to a CMA with a muzzle bore under 20mm; a cannon is one that has a bore over or equivalent to 20mm. Warheads CMAs have access to the most types of warheads, which is the same as missiles. They range from Kinetic, High Explosive, Incendiary, Concussive, EMP, Nuclear, and Directed Energy (yes, cannon-launched Directed Energy Weapons). Shells can be converted into missiles, with internal propulsion and guidance after it leaves the barrel. Small CMAs normally use Kinetic warheads; large CMAs normally use anything but Kinetic warheads. Missiles Self-propelled CMA projectiles. They contain their own guidance, propulsion and warhead in a single package. Missiles are effective against moving targets. Some missiles can carry other weapons, making them very varied in performance. They are relatively wasteful in planetary bombardment. Warheads See CMA warheads. Directed Energy Directed Energy weaponry ranges from lasers to antimatter accelerators. The important thing to remember is that Directed Energy Weapons have no “warhead”—if you come in contact with the weapon's beam/pulse/stream, you will receive 100% of the weapon's effects. Essentially, the moment it leaves the launcher, it is very, very dangerous. However, the vast majority of them are seriously affected by a planetary atmosphere, making the not as suitable for planetary bombardment as other weapons. Laser A Laser is a device that amplifies and concentrates a single wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. They move at lightspeed and are essentially impossible to dodge, but the beam suffers from diffusion, making lasers have finite range. Particle Beam Particle Beams are cannons that launch a stream of small particles at relativistic velocities. These range from electrons to helium nuceli to atoms. They are excellent long-range weapons, and provide incredible lethality on their targets due to the fact that they not only have the thermal ablation of lasers but also the kinetic impact of mass accelerators. Plasma Magnetically launched plasma is often used as a short-range weapon. Plasma throwers ionize a gas (normally, Hydrogen), then propels it outward via a Gauss coil fire plasma in bursts, streams or fans. Thanks to their immensely high temperature, they are very potent in burning through just about anything. Another form is the Plasma-ball launcher, a ball of plasma held together by its own magnetic field. Upon collision (normally, destroying the magnetic field), the plasma explodes outward with all of its explosive potential. However, both forms are easily disrupted by other magnetic fields that can deform the launched plasma. Antimatter Accelerator Antimatter Accelerators are antimatter plasma throwers. Using the same operation principle, the thrower ionizes the antimatter, then propels it outward via a Gauss coil. It is extremely potent, as it instantly annihilates normal matter, creates a ton of Gamma radiation, and pumps out lots of photons. However, Antimatter doesn't come cheap. Radiological Radiological weapons fire many forms of radiation, mostly the ionizing kind. They range from X-ray lasers to neutron accelerators to demoralizing wave launchers (that mess with a human brain's emotion cortex) to microwave emitters (that can cook a person alive). Radiological weapons are seriously deterred by a planet's atmosphere. Defense Classification Passive Armor Plating Armor Plating's resilience to damage is based on what materials it uses and what is supporting it. Common space-grade defensive armor use Metals, Ceramics, Polymers, Crystalline matter and non-Newtonian energy absorbent materials. They are commonly combined and blended to into Composite armor. Armor Plating is the most basic form of defense, and are potent against most weapons. Spaced armor can allow Armor Plating effectively take on hypervelocity/ relativistic shots, and good internal reinforcement can allow them to survive hits that would have mangled a non-reinforced plate. Reactive Armor Reactive Armor is a form of one-time-use armor that reacts to being attacked. It ranges from ablative armor that breaks apart into millions of tiny particles that absorb the energy of a Directed Energy Weapon, to Nuclear Reactive Armor panels that fire their nuclear shape charges to decimate incoming projectiles as they are triggered by proximity sensors. Energy Shielding Alternate name: Kinetic Shielding. Technology based off of Magnetic Shielding, Energy Shielding creates a powerful magnetic field around the starship where it is projected off of. A thick stream of charged negative matter is then run through the field. The negative mater in the shield is then manipulated to greatly increase its gravity, allowing the shield to repel regular matter at a discernible level. The shield can effectively brunt or even stop any particle-based weapon. A shield has a maximum shield yield (MSY), a level of energy that it can deflect or absorb and still replenish the shield's strength. A typical shield can sustain five times more energy than its maximum shield yield before failing, but absorbing or deflecting a blow above MSY compromises the shield's system circuitry. At a shield's point-of-failure (5 MSY), shielding system circuits are burned beyond repair. Active Point Defense PD is used to destroy incoming munitions before they can cause harm. They come in various shapes and sizes, depending on what they're trying to blow up or how they blow up a target. Common PD are small-caliber hypervelocity/ relativistic EMAs, ultra-high RoF CMAs, plasma launchers, lasers, particle beams and guided missiles. Automated Evasion All starships have thrusters to maneuver them around (turn), and to juke/dodge/evade. However, a human with hands on the ship's thruster control normally reacts too slowly, and therefore most starships have Automated Evasion. Combining sensors, trajectory calculating computers, thrusters, and a central control computer/AI, Automated Evasion increases survivability by allowing a starship dodge an attack. AE is more likely to be used on small, agile spacecraft. Active Armor Active Armor is a form of armor that is capable of responding to an attack in other methods than just blasting the enemy projectile into smithereens; they are also typically multi-use. Active Armor ranges from humble supramolecular polymer armor that uses the heat generated from contact with a projectile to form new bonds, to Nanoarmor that consists of hundreds or thousands of nanomachines that can repair damage, harden or soften as required, and even alter their structure to block EMP bursts, allowing them (with enough energy being supplied) to be extremely effective against incoming enemy projectiles. Planetary Surface Vehicles Machines that are designed to operate on the surface on a planet's surface. Wheeled A vehicle that has wheels. Dating back to ancient horse-powered chariots over 5000 years ago, wheeled vehicles are reliable, operate effectively on smooth surfaces, and are inexpensive to build and operate. They are commonly used for relatively lightweight and inexpensive vehicles. Tracked A vehicle that has at least two “caterpillar” tracks that move it along. Tracked vehicles are more effective on rough/ tough-to-navigate surfaces, and more evenly distributes a vehicle's weight, but they are more expensive to build and operate, and are much heavier. They are commonly used for relatively heavy vehicles. Walker A sign of advanced mechanical technology, walkers are vehicles that move one two (or more) legs. They are a product of highly-perfected motor control, normally derived from powered exoskeletons. Although they operate effectively on any terrain and provide excellent view of the battlefield. However, they are very expensive to build and operate, and distribute weight the least evenly. They are commonly used for all-terrain vehicles. Hovercraft A Hovercraft uses air cushion/ electrostatic/ gravity repulsion technology to push itself a short distance off of the ground. Although extremely fast and all-terrain (even capable of operating on water), they require massive amounts of electricity, and cannot be too heavy. Therefore, they are commonly used for lightweight reconnaissance vehicles. Technological Achievement Scale The Technological development of a civilization depends on the energy that they use, the information that they possess, and how rapid they can communicate over long distances. Tier 1 A Tier 1 civilization is mainly an agricultural one, with the ability to extract the energy they need directly from natural sources (wood/ fossil fuel). Information mainly passes on via oral tradition. Communication over long distances is carried out by mail-running people on horses, or in the final stages of this tier, in trains. *Known Civilizations **Humanity 6,000 B.C. ~ 18th century. Tier 2 A Tier 2 civilization is an industrial one, with the ability to extract the energy they need from natural sources (mainly fossil fuel). Information mainly passes on via paper. Communication over long distances in carried out by fossil-fuel burning vehicles, and in the final stages of this Tier, has reliable planetary flight. *Known Civilizations **Humanity 19th century ~ 1944 Tier 3 A Tier 3 civilization is a post-industrial one, with the ability to use energy from nuclear reactions, although they are still mainly reliant on fossil fuel. Information passes on via electronic methods. Tier 3 civilizations have planetary electronic communication systems that allows rapid communication from one end of a planet to another. Surface-to-Orbit flight is capable in this Tier. *Known Civilizations **Humanity 1945 ~ 2040. Tier 4 A Tier 4 civilization is a post-industrial civilization that has obtained reliable Nuclear Fusion technology, although it may not be the primary source of energy. Information passes on via electronic methods. Tier 4 civilizations have interplanetary communication systems, and can communicate with the same civilization from another planet. Interplanetary transportation is widespread at the end of this Tier. *Known Civilizations **Humanity 2041 ~ 2061 Tier 5 A Tier 5 civilization has achieved widespread use of Thermonuclear Fusion throughout all planets it populates. Information passes on via electronic methods. Tier 5 civilizations have interstellar communication systems, allowing them to communicate with members of the same civilization in a far away stellar system. Faster-Than-Light transportation and terraforming are key signs of Tier 5 civilizations. *Known Civilizations **TOP 100,100 B.C.~2061 **HASF 2062 ~ current Tier 6 A Tier 6 civilization has achieved widespread use of Thermonuclear Fusion throughout all planets it populates. Information passes on via photonic methods. Tier 6 civilizations are capable of wormhole manipulation (allowing them to achieve rapid galactic/ intergalactic travel), and stellar mass manipulation (star, planet construction). *Known Civilizations **Pugnators Unknown-2410 **Praeceptors Tier 7 Tier 7 civilizations are capable of harnessing the quantum energy of the universe. Information passes on via quantum energy methods. Tier 7 civilizations are capable of rapid galactic transportation through the universe, and may even be able to thrive in a different universe. Beings from this Tier may be perceived as omnipotent gods by civilizations in a lower Tier. *Known Civilizations **None John Pan (talk) 11:46, January 25, 2016 (UTC) Category:Blog posts